What is PBL

Educa&on at our faculty is based on Problem-Based Learning (PBL). This educa&on system allows for
students to work in small groups to analyse and explain problems. The tutorial group is a central
element in PBL. This is a group of students together with a supervisor (tutor). Each session, the
tutorial group is faced with a problem (the task) that challenges them to think about the subject-
maEer, discuss it with each other and ul&mately, through independent study, gain deeper insight into
the subject-maEer. AGer independent study, the group reconvenes to discuss the studied maEer,
using the learning goals based on the prior discussion and apply the studied maEer to the problem at
hand. The goal of this repor&ng session is to gain the most thorough understanding of the maEer as
possible and to be able to use this knowledge to explain different situa&ons.

Problem-based learning

The concept of PBL is based on ideas of how people learn. Based on the principles underlying the
concept, PBL can be characterized as a construc&ve, collabora&ve and contextual approach to
learning in which self-directedness and co-crea&on of knowledge play central roles. The tutorial
group sessions will be based around various problem assignments. Once the assignment has been
discussed, the tutorial group will select specific issues to study before the next session; these are the
'learning objec&ves'.

Most problem cases (PBL problems) will be approached by means of a systema&c method known as
the 'Seven Steps method'. The tutorial group will go through the Seven Steps of this method to
explain or resolve a problem.

The following steps can be dis&nguished:

• 1: Clarifying any unclear terms and concepts
• 2: Defining the problem
• 3: Analysing the problem
• 4: Lis&ng and deepening explana&ons of the problem
• 5: Formula&ng learning objec&ves
• 6: Self-study
• 7: Repor&ng: synthesizing and tes&ng of the knowledge acquired.

1. Clarifying any unclear terms and concepts: The text about a problem statement may contain
terms which are not understood by everybody, or which can be interpreted in various ways.
These terms and concepts need to be explained, and care must be taken that everybody is on the
same page before a problem can be discussed properly. This step can be taken fairly quick, and
one should not draw it out unnecessarily by going into too much detail.
2. Defining the Problem: What is the problem about? Which phenomena or events in the text need
to be clarified? It is important to be in reasonable agreement about this as the descrip&on of the
problem(s) determines the parameters for the rest of the discussion.
3. Analysing the Problem: Explain the phenomena which have been described. What do you know
already and how can this provide a possible explana&on? Think of as many explana&ons as
possible. The technique of brainstorming is used in this step: all kinds of ideas are men&oned
freely without them being cri&cized immediately. It may not be clear whether a number of these
ideas make sense or not but they may well contribute to a beEer understanding of one or more
explana&ons of the phenomena or events which have been described.
4. Lis<ng explana<ons of the problem: First all the ideas from step three are ordered, before the
various clusters of ideas are further discussed. Everything that is said during the brainstorming
session is further clarified, deepened and cri&cally reviewed. If possible, the group will formulate
theories about the subject maEer that can be compared with the theories formulated in the
 literature.
The group will not only look at whether the ideas are worth pursuing or not but also at the &me
available for this.
5. Formula<ng learning objec<ves: Learning objec&ves are drawn up from step 4. These are tasks
which the tutorial group sets for individual self-study before the next tutorial group mee&ng. The
idea is not that tasks are divided. Everybody studies the various learning objec&ves.
6. Self-study: You start working on the learning objec&ves which have been set by the tutorial
group. Relevant informa&on is looked up and studied. It is important that you find and study
more informa&on than required to only respond to the learning objec&ves.
7. Repor<ng: synthesizing and tes<ng of the knowledge acquired: In the next tutorial group mee&ng
students will report on their findings during the self-study. What explana&ons and solu&ons were
found? What are main and side issues? Is one capable of describing the underlying structure or
organiza&on of the informa&on gathered? Is one able to apply the informa&on one has found to
the original problem or to another, analogous problem? These ques&ons will help to integrate
and synthesize the informa&on one has found.

Coopera7on in the Tutorial Group

PBL revolves around working in small groups. Over the course of various mee&ngs, the coopera&on is
given shape by means of several agreements. The important thing is to divide and take turns
assuming the roles of discussion leader and scribe. During every group mee&ng, one of the group
members assumes the role of discussion leader. Addi&onally, one of the group members (scribe)
takes notes on the blackboard or a smartboard for example, to give the group an overview of the
course of the discussion. The tutor is present to s&mulate the group process if necessary and to
iden&fy possible misconcep&ons about the maEer. The group members are expected to ac&vely
par&cipate in the tutorial group, adequately prepare for the repor&ng phase and can adequately
provide each other with feedback to allow the group process to go as op&mally as possible.

The Role of Discussion Leader:

In short it is the discussion leader's task to structure the tutorial mee&ng and monitor the process of
the seven-step approach. The discussion leader also manages the interac&on and coopera&on
between group members. The discussion leader s&mulates the group to find more possible
explana&ons to the problem during the problem analysis. Addi&onally, the discussion leader ensures
that the learning goals formulated by the group cover aspects that have not yet been explained or
understood during the discussion and that the learning goals are concrete and clear enough.
Important is that the discussion leader is not alone in the group. The discussion leader may expect
everyone to help the group cooperate as op&mally as possible.

Various ac&vi&es of the discussion leader are:

During the preliminary discussion phase

§ Introduce the new task in an adequate manner. For example, summarise what the task is about
aGer everyone has read it.
§ Propose a procedure for dealing with tasks. For example, whether the separate parts of the tasks
should be discussed separately or collec&vely.
§ Guard the procedure of the preliminary discussion.
§ Support the tutorial group during the formula&on and choice of the problem areas.
§ S&mulate the analysis of the problem. By s&mula&ng the group members' genera&on and
deepening of explana&ons of the problem. For example, by ‘con&nuing to ask’: ‘Can anyone
elaborate on this?’.
§ Increase the informa&on input of group members by:
o Encouraging group members to input explana&ons and opinions.
o Paying aEen&on to alterna&ve ideas.
o Iden&fying contras&ng points of view and expounding on that.
o Paying aEen&on to the development of ideas on the blackboard.
o Frequently asking for summaries or providing them yourself.
§ Help formulate profound and concrete learning goals and supervise the decision-making.
§ Encourage all group members to par&cipate.
By personally asking group members ques&ons, such as ‘What do you think is a possible
explana&on/solu&on for the problem?’ Or by bringing the input of a group member that has been
overlooked due to a (too) cri&cal response of other group members to the aEen&on during
preliminary discussion: ‘Could you repeat what you wanted to say just now?’.

During the repor<ng phase

§ No&fy the tutorial group in what order the learning goals will be dealt with during the
subsequent discussion.
§ Adequately introduce the discussion of learning goals (refer to the preliminary discussion and the
way the learning goals were formulated).

Increase the informa&on input by:

§ Invi&ng group members to say what they found relevant in the informa&on sources found.
§ S&mula&ng the dis&nguishing of main points and side issues in the informa&on found.
§ Asking for clarifica&on when the explana&on is unclear.
§ Encouraging students to ask ques&ons and give explana&ons to each other.
§ Asking for examples.
§ Encouraging group members to make connec&ons between different aspects of the subject
maEer.
§ Asking group members to make connec&ons between new aspects and the big picture, e.g. the
theme of the course..
§ Insis&ng them to give a summary or giving a summary yourself.
§ Urging the group members to review the task in the light of the studied informa&on.
§ Encouraging group members to contribute to the discussion. By personally asking group
members ques&ons, instead of asking: ‘Has anyone read something about this?’
As seen above, the discussion leader has many different tasks, and possibili&es to supervise the
group. Therefore, it is normal that not everyone will immediately master the role of discussion leader.
Frequently asking for feedback on the interpreta&on of discussion leadership will allow different
group members to familiarise themselves with the role of discussion leader.

The Role of the scribe:

It is the scribe’s task to make notes on the board about the discussion. These notes should be
understandable, making it more important that they are wriEen in a clear and concise fashion. The
scribe would do well to schema&cally divide the board in advance to make room for the formula&on
of the problem, the brainstorm and the learning goals. This will allow a scribe to note subjects that
were not en&rely clarified during the brainstorm under learning goals.

A good scribe should execute the following ac&vi&es:

During the preliminary discussion

§ Being able to pick up important informa&on during the group discussion.
§ Being able to display that informa&on on the board in a concise manner.
§ Being able to display informa&on on the board in a brief and readable fashion.
§ Being able to organise and schema&se informa&on.
§ Being able to select informa&on and dis&nguish objec&ve informa&on from the personal opinions
of group members.
§ Being able to listen to a discussion and, if necessary, ask ques&ons to clarify or verify the
correctness of the notes.
§ Being able to visualise unclari&es about the subject maEer.
§ Being able to record agreements made, such as learning goals.
§ Some&mes sharing the scribes screen on the smartboard (television screen) can be very useful.

During the repor5ng phase

A scribe can, if necessary, clarify the maEer by using the board during the report phase. This can be
done through diagrams, graphs, tables or in another way to display the maEer in a graphical manner.
It is oGen the case that not just one scribe is used during the report phase. If necessary, every student
may choose to put a diagram or table on the board to help clarify parts of the subject maEer under
discussion.

The Role of Group Members

Every individual group member is responsible for the func&oning of the tutorial mee&ngs. This
concerns responsibility in the field of prepara&on, ac&ve par&cipa&on and certain codes of conduct
during the discussion, such as leing each other speak, not 'scoring' at the expense of another and
assuming a cri&cal stance regarding the arguments brought forward.

During the preliminary discussion phase

During the preliminary discussion phase, group members can be expected to:
§ Contribute to a good group environment in which everyone is given the space to express
themselves.
§ Share present knowledge with fellow students.
§ Ac&vely par&cipate in the group discussion.
§ Ask for an explana&on when something is unclear.
§ Ac&vely listen and pay aEen&on to what is said by others.
§ Show ac&ve involvement by assuming the right stance and using correct nonverbal
communica&on.
§ Give a summary on the most important points discussed.
§ Help formulate concrete and clear learning goals on the maEer that is yet to be studied.
§ Give feedback on maEers such as the work method of the group and/or behaviour of the group
(members).

During the independent study phase

§ Select and study literature that adequately answers the learning goals.
§ Answer the learning goals in a concise and brief manner using the studied literature.

During the repor<ng phase

§ Contribute to a good group environment in which everyone is given the space to express
themselves.
§ Ac&vely par&cipate in answering learning goals.
§ Ask for an explana&on when something is unclear.
§ Explain to others in case of unclari&es.
§ Ac&vely listen and pay aEen&on to what is said by others.
§ Show ac&ve involvement by assuming the right stance and using correct nonverbal
communica&on.
§ Give a summary on the most important points discussed.
§ Give feedback on maEers such as the work method of the group and/or behaviour of the group
(members).

The Role of Tutor:

The main task of the tutor is to enhance the learning process of the students and the coopera&on
between them. A tutor is oGen also, up to a point, a content expert, which means that the tutor can
follow the discussion between students and can comment when there are misconcep&ons about the
content maEer. This does not mean, however, that a tutor is expected to explain the subject-maEer
to the group. It is the tutor's role to get the group back on track by asking ques&ons or providing
metaphors and/or examples from prac&ce.

Evalua7on:
In every group, there are factors that bring about a posi&ve development of the coopera&on between
different group members and the discussion of the maEer in the tutorial group. There can also be
aspects that hinder coopera&on. By evalua&on with the group on mul&ple moments during a course,
feedback on both the posi&ve factors and the factors that can be improved can be discussed. This will
increase the insight into the strong points and points to be improved. It is important during an
evalua&on to discuss how the points of improvement will be worked on, and what strong points
should be maintained. By evalua&ng with each other in an open manner, the group process and the
overall discussion of the content can evolve in a posi&ve and pleasant way. Evalua&on (feedback)
moments are usually led by the tutor. However, anyone who thinks it is important to have an extra
evalua&on moment can ask for &me to do so.

Background Informa7on about PBL

What is goal of the preliminary discussion?
The preliminary discussion serves to ac<vate your prior knowledge about the subject. Ac&va&ng this
knowledge will ensure that the new informa&on (that is yet to be learned) is associated with the
already exis&ng knowledge and can therefore be placed immediately in the right context. Knowledge
is not stored in our memory as a list of facts but is instead structured in seman<c networks. It is easier
to draw knowledge from the context in which the knowledge was learned than if there was a
different context. The problems of the tasks are formed by the context in which new knowledge is
linked to prior knowledge. By ac&va&ng the prior knowledge, it becomes easier to remember new
knowledge, as the connec&ons in the seman&c network between the ac&vated knowledge elements
are strengthened. By extensively reviewing what knowledge the group already possesses, what
knowledge is missing and thinking about how maEer connec&ons can be made, a new situa&on is
created in which it is easier to store and remember new knowledge.

Because group members are discussing possible explana&ons to the problem with each other, you are
ac&vely exchanging and assessing implicit and explicit knowledge and opinions. As such, your
knowledge about the subject is expanded by discussing with each other and different knowledge
structures are created. During the discussion, it will also become clear what gaps or contradic&ons
there are in the present knowledge, causing the students to be intrinsically mo<vated to fill these
gaps during their independent study and solve these contradic&ons.

The learning goals that are formulated at the end of a tutorial mee&ng are the result of the group
discussion and show what problems the group was not able to solve during the preliminary
discussion. Because the group can set the learning goals itself, the intrinsic mo&va&on of the students
is increased.

What is the goal of the independent study phase?

The goal of the independent study phase is to select literature independently to answer the learning
goals. This will allow you to learn to make choices concerning relevant and less relevant literature for
answering the learning goals.

What is the goal of the repor<ng phase?

During the subsequent discussion, the group is able to integrate the maEer and apply it to the
problem of the task. All sources read must be examined in terms of how these sources answer the
learning goals, and whether the right connec&ons can be made between the different sources.
Because the group is discussing the studied maEer again, the connec&ons between the ac&vated
knowledge elements in the seman&c network are again strengthened. Using examples to clarify the
maEer is another important s&mulus in remembering and understanding the subject maEer.
This will make it easier to remember acquired knowledge and to retrieve this knowledge from the
memory later. Addi&onally, by explaining content to each other during the tutorial group, possible
inconsistencies in the acquired knowledge can be found. It is known that explaining maEer to others
is a learning experience that allows the explaining student to strongly embed the knowledge in
his/her own seman&c network. So, by explaining, you also remember the maEer beEer yourself.

Sources used:
• Moust, J.H.C., & Grave de, W.S. (2000). Werken in onderwijsgroepen. Hoger Onderwijs Prak&jk.
Groningen: Wolters-Noordhoff
• Schmidt, H.G., & Moust, J.H.C. (1998). Probleemgestuurd onderwijs, prak<jk en theorie. Hoger
Onderwijs Reeks.Groningen:Wolters-Noordhoff
• Til, van, C., & Heijden van der, F. (1998). PBL study Skills, an overview. Maastricht: Universiteit
Maastricht